The internet is here to stay and its capacity and connectivity have tangibly improved, providing an increasingly compelling service at progressively competitive prices. Generally accepted standard online applications – those which many people are comfortable using on a daily basis such as online flight reservations systems, news feeds and social media sites are all being complemented by steady streams of new online business applications and services.

The Sage Pastel My Payroll Online system offers an affordable “pay for what you use” solution,delivering efficient, simple and cost-effective payroll administration. It is especially cost effective for industries such as farming, construction or manufacturing where companies want to keep all employees loaded on the payroll, but only make use of the services of some employees at a given point in time. Traditionally the cost would be based on the total employee count but with Sage Pastel My Payroll Online the company is charged only for the employees it is paying.

The online payroll solution automatically calculates PAYE, SDL and UIF and provides the user with EMP201 totals which must be submitted to SARS by the 7th of each month. The monthly UIF declaration can be sent directly to the Department of Labour from Sage Pastel My Payroll Online.

A significant benefit is that tax certificates do not have to be manually captured onto SARS e@syFile. Tax certificates can be printed from the system and a file for import into SARS e@syFile is also created, removing the need to manually capture employee details for submission to SARS. An OID report also provides the user with the values required to complete the W.As.8 return due by the end of March every year.

The online software is a further enhancement to make business life easier for small businesses offering leave application and tracking functionality. Leave can be processed online and calculation of annual, sick, family responsibility and maternity leave as required by the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) is done automatically. Sick notes and other correspondence can be attached and stored online. All employee records on the system are stored for five years with easy access when required.

Leave management reports are included as part of the system, ensuring that users can effectively manage their employees’ leave. These reports include a sick leave abuse report to monitor employees that take leave before or after weekends or public holidays as well as tracking of the 8-week rule. A report to easily verify leave taken during shutdown periods is also included.

“Simplicity and ease of use were key objectives in the software design, so users don’t need to have a payroll qualification. There is no jargon; all that is needed to be able to make use of the payroll software is an internet connection. Our online payroll software is compliant with all legislative and tax requirements.”

Being a cloud-based application, there is no installation of software and implementation of the system is simple and hassle-free as all fields and parameters are pre-defined for immediate use. Schmikl adds that the system caters for the set-up and calculation of all benefits such as pension and provident funds, retirement annuities and medical aid contributions.

“One of the benefits,” says Schmikl, “is that users no longer need to visit a website to download and install software updates manually or install CD versions. They will always process their payroll on the latest software and legislative version.”

Security is a core feature of the Sage Pastel My Payroll Online system and all information transferred over the internet is both encrypted and stored on secure servers in a high-tech data facility. Payroll data is backed up daily and with the roll-over to each new payroll period.

To test-drive this easy online payroll system, Sign-up today from as little as R3.90 (Excl Vat) per weekly payslip, R7.80 (Excl VAT) per fortnight payslip or R17 (Excl VAT) per monthly payslip. Go to www.pastelmypayroll.co.za and enter the new era of payroll processing.

Software, Solutions & Insights

The Sage Group provides business software, services and support to small and medium sized businesses. Whilst the heritage is in the SME market, the company also has the experience and expertise to deal with the requirements of specific industries and larger organisations. Core solutions cover accounting, ERP, Payroll and HR, Business Intelligence, customer relationship management and retail software solutions to small, medium and larger sized companies.